Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham has criticised Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese over her physical style of play during the WNBA postseason, calling it “dangerous.” Cunningham made the remarks on her No Hesitation podcast with Drew Hanlen, at a time when the Dream had reached the WNBA Finals.
Cunningham said she is a fan of Reese, but felt the forward’s approach had crossed a line.
Cunningham says Reese’s tactics crossed a line
Cunningham praised Reese for standing by her teammates, saying, “I love it when she has her teammates back.” She added, however, that chasing opponents and getting in their heads was one thing, while “You can’t tackle someone in the air and go for someone’s knees and ankles.”
Cunningham questions officiating in Dream playoff games
Cunningham also criticised the refereeing in the Dream’s playoff games, pointing to an incident against the New York Liberty and star Sabrina Ionescu. In that moment, Reese trailed a player and yelled at the opponent without being given a technical foul. “I do think that the fact that she didn’t get a tech on that, I think that’s definitely crazy,” Cunningham said.
Reese was later called for a technical foul after a brief on-court spat with Jonquel Jones. Under playoff guidelines, a technical foul cost Reese one game. With three games to go in the Dream’s WNBA Finals, viewers and players are closely watching her behaviour.
